AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > April > 18 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTech-Dogs rivalry lacking in baseball
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Georgia played Georgia Tech on Wednesday, and neither side trotted out its No. 1 pitcher, or even its No. 2. That’s the way college baseball works. Or, more precisely, doesn’t work. What sort of sport renders the year’s first installment of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate only the fourth-biggest game either team will play this week?
Both Tech and Georgia regard conference games, which are reserved for weekends, as the ones that matter most. Of Wednesday’s matchup, Tech coach Danny Hall said: “We feel we need to win the game.” (His team did.) But the feeling wasn’t so strong that he deployed David Duncan, his best pitcher. Duncan, see, is a weekend guy.
Hall again: “The emphasis for us is on postseason play, and we feel winning conference games is the way to get there … It pains Georgia Tech alums to hear me say that, but that’s just the way it is.”
Imagine the outcry from Tech fans if Chan Gailey chose to start Taylor Bennett instead of Reggie Ball in Athens last November. (Wait a second. Bad example. Try again.) Imagine the protests from Georgia fans if Mark Richt, looking ahead to a bowl game, had held out Matthew Stafford against Tech.
Said David Perno, Georgia’s baseball coach: “The difference is that we play 56 games a year, as opposed to 11 or 12.”
There’s never an uproar about the way Tech-Georgia baseball is conducted because (a.) not nearly as many people care, and (b.) those who do see the merit in the respective coaches’ conventional wisdom. That said, maybe more people would care about Tech-Georgia baseball if the logistics were different.
As it is, the old enemies will meet twice more — once at Turner Field next Tuesday and again in Athens on May 9. Spreading things out dilutes the effect — Russ Chandler Stadium, which seats 4,157, wasn’t filled Wednesday — and renders what should be a spirited rivalry almost an afterthought. Mightn’t it be more interesting if the two faced off over the course of a weekend, when the best pitchers would presumably be available? Sure. Now to the bigger issue: Is such a series logistically feasible?
Alas, maybe not.
Dan Radakovich, Tech’s athletics director, wrote in an e-mail: “A weekend series would be difficult, and I think the same issue confronts other ACC/SEC rivals. To play a three-game set on a weekend would need to be done in early March.”
Said Hall: “I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but we’d have to do it in February.”
Perno: “If you do it earlier, basketball’s still going and the weather’s 50-50.”
Not so long ago, Tech and Georgia would play a pair of two-game series — sometimes in midweek, other times on the weekend. Then Turner Field became available, and the schools scaled back. Radakovich again: “Certainly [a weekend series] would impact the Turner Field game, which is a great thing for both schools.”
Clemson and South Carolina, it should be noted, played a two-game series — one at each place — the first weekend in March. They met again Wednesday in Columbia and will play next week in Clemson. Then again, they don’t have the Turner Field component to consider.
A suggestion: Let Georgia and Tech do something similar — play home-and-home on a weekend in late Februrary or early March, weather and basketball notwithstanding. As Perno conceded, “That way you could see us use all the best arms.” That’s in contrast to Wednesday night’s doings, which saw the Jackets pull Ryan Turner after two scoreless innings so as to save his strength for a scheduled Sunday start against N.C. State.
Play the weekend series early, and then come back with a third game at Turner Field in late April. That would satisfy all the venue requirements, and it might lend an edge to a rivalry that has, to be brutally honest, gone soft.
Permalink | Comments (33) | Post your comment | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
Comments
By travis
April 19, 2007 12:18 AM | Link to this
I saw the game on tv and I was wondering if there were as many uga fans as gt fans at the game. It looked like it was about 50/50 from tv.
By tj
April 19, 2007 12:20 AM | Link to this
I was wondering if there were as many uga fans as gt fans at the game. On tv it looked about 50/50 so I was just wanting to see if that is correct from someone who was there
By T2
April 19, 2007 1:45 AM | Link to this
Mark, Show up for more than one college game every 10 years and then talk. The weekend series has never been played between Tech and UGA. Before Turner there were four game series, two at each school always played on weekdays. Stick to things you know which is neither Tech nor Ga. You only write about stuff to stir the pot. I can’t belive the ajc has the two worst sports writers in the nation, Moore and Bradley!
By stinGTime
April 19, 2007 6:11 AM | Link to this
Whipping a bulldog; bummer.
Whipping a BuLLdawg; that’s a good thing!
By GTweatherguy
April 19, 2007 6:54 AM | Link to this
I was at the game last night and there were definitely not that many UGAG fans. In fact, I estimated that 70% of the stadium was filled by Tech fans. I guess it’s difficult even for Georgia to generate large support when your team has a terrible record. THWG
By JustMe
April 19, 2007 8:09 AM | Link to this
You don’t consider it a rivaly game mostly because GA Tech dominates….. If ugag would get a decent team once in a while things may be different.
But, ugay fans only want to talk about certain spring sports where they can field a decent team - figures.
By mart
April 19, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this
Football’s the only sport that matters when it comes to Tech-Ga. Anything else is rivalry in name only.
By coach
April 19, 2007 8:19 AM | Link to this
Mark, Danny didn’t start his ace because he did not have to. His team did a great job and sent the Dawgs back to Athens with a loss.
By the way Mark, which college sport did you play?
By Mike
April 19, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this
Coaches Hall and Perno make valid points concerning the placement of the Tech-Georgia baseball games on the schedule. The only opportunity to play a weekend series is February or early March when basketball season is at its peak and baseball is not being publicized. History has shown us that fans are not yet ready to come out in great numbers even to see a Tech-Georgia game. Tech and Georgia actually did play two of their four games on a Saturday and Sunday in February for three years in the mid-1990s (the other two were played on weeknights in April), and the games were not as well attended as the one last night.
By hasActuallyKissedgirl
April 19, 2007 8:48 AM | Link to this
well gee i would hope 70% of the stadium was filled with tech fans, seeing how the game was played at tech. you act like thats an accomplishment. i guess that goes along with the “hey guys we brought more fans to bobby dodd than wake to the acc title game” mentality.
By hasActuallyKissedgirl
April 19, 2007 8:49 AM | Link to this
I shouldn’t post this early. I meant to say “hey we brought more fans than wake to the acc title game.” forget the part about bobby dodd.
By Eric
April 19, 2007 8:52 AM | Link to this
TO JustMe, last time I checked, UGA has sent a team to the College World Series 3 times in the last six years. I know they way not be having a great season this year, but they are always competitive. Plus, UGA holds 6-4 advantage since 2003.
By JOHN
April 19, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this
GEORGIA IS DOWN THIS YEAR DUE TO YOUNG TALENT. IN YEARS PAST WHEN IT MATTERS GA. HAS SPANKED THE GEEKS AT THEIR HOME FIELD. DO YOU REMEMBER THE REGINALS A FEW YEARS AGO. PURE DOMINATION. WHEN IT MATTERS……
2007 FOOTBALL SEASON GA. 42
GEEKS 10
By wes
April 19, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
We have a quarterback now.
We have a quarterback now.
We have a quarterback now.
Man, it feels good saying that. Its only been FIVE years!!!!
By Coondawg69
April 19, 2007 10:26 AM | Link to this
Mr. Bradley, I greatly appreciate the article on the game because not a lot of attention is given to college baseball by your publication. It’s college baseball. I get it. But when offering a fix to a “problem”, please go and write about something you have a little more knowledge about…. I don’t know, maybe spelunking.
The crowd is fine. The set-up is fine. A home/ home/ and Ted match-up is great. Did you travel to Athens for the OSU series? What about the Purdue series? Typically, early to mid-February is cold in Georgia. Talking about crowds? Only the most loyal fan or family member will attend.
Did you attend last year’s game at Russ Chandler? Did you attend the game in 2005 or 04? No, not the Super Regional of 04 or the Regional of 02. That was in June and about 98 degrees both times. However, if you did attend the single game match up at Russ Chandler, you realize that playing in mid-April has improved odds for better weather. Granted there’s always a chance for rain. But mid-March has a chance for what, windy and 50 degrees.
Thanks again for the article. Just next time, stick to what happened on the field and not what you think will help this “rivalry”. Finally having both programs successful… that’s what will help this rivalry.
Here’s a little tip, in case your were wondering. Burning a top starter against a non-conference foe when Georgia has #8 ranked Arkansas this weekend and TECH has #23 Ranked NC State is not the smart thing to do.
By Obama 08
April 19, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this
It may have been 50/50, but Tech draws ALOT better than Georgia over the course of the season. It’s not even close.
By Georgia fans are obnoxious
April 19, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this
http://www.ncaa.org/stats/baseball/attendance/2004_attendance.pdf
This is for 2004, but Tech averaged 1878 a game and UGA 1872. Once again UGA fans brag about how supportive they are and how crappy Tech fans are. Actually, I am going to take the U out of UGA and just say Georgia fans. Most Georgia fans didn’t go to community college much less The University of Georgia. I know I shouldn’t say this about my fellow Georgians, but I have a hard time associating Georgia fans with anything Academic. I am also sick of Georgia fans acting like they are so much more supportive than Tech fans. Tech outdraws Georgia for basketball by almost 2,000 a game and equals UGA in baseball attendance. So what if you have 30% Techs baseball stadium or close to half of Bobby Dodd. There are three times as many Georgia alumni and fans in the Atlanta metro area than Tech has in the world. Just because there are more of you doesn’t make you better. The talking point that fits this thread should be how Tech equals Georgia’s baseball attendance with less than 10% of UGA’s total fan base. Tech has 16,000 students and Georgia has 33,000 students, 147,000 alumni in state and all of the white trash Georgia with a UGA front tag on their side. Bragging about UGA outdrawing Tech is like Parkview High School(5-A) fans bragging about how they draw more people to football games than Commerce High School(1-A).
By Scott
April 19, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this
Mark Bradley
Between you and Terrence Moore I can barely stand to look at the sports page anymore. Please write about things you know. This is one of the rare articles in which you are not blatantly pro-georgia. I swear you are on their payroll
By Coondawg69
April 19, 2007 12:02 PM | Link to this
To Georgia Fans are obnoxious:
Georgia fans probably are uneducated… all of them. Just like Tech fans are probably geeks…. all of them.
Nice generalization and one that has nothing to do w/ Mark Bradley’s article.
Now go design a new super rocket to save the earth and we’ll start on Tuesday’s tailgate at the Ted.
By Hoopergdawg
April 19, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this
There is hate in the rivalry but only one sided. Most (not all) Ga fans pull for Tech unless they are playing THE university of GEORGIA. Tech would pull for Russia over the dawgs. BTW, JUSTME, Ga has been ranked no. 1 in 4 spring sports this year. What about Tech? Where’s the love techies?
By Ramble ON!
April 19, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this
We should have beamed the first UGA batter with a fastball. Not to the head though, that wouldn’t hurt enough.
By Ramble ON!
April 19, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this
Hoopergdawg, pluuzzzzee. If it wasn’t for girlie sports, you wouldn’t have said that!
By Casey Smallwood
April 19, 2007 2:28 PM | Link to this
GO Dawgs…Prather you crack me up and Wes……nevermind it is to fun watching you squirm!!! JustMe you are an idiot that doesn’t know anything about the past (Since 2001 UGA’s record vs Tech is 13 and 10, 2 Times UGA has knocked Tech out of the Regional and once Tech has knocked UGA out….get you facts straight!!
By Ramble ON!
April 19, 2007 3:06 PM | Link to this
Casey Smallwood if justme is an idiot, we can’t print what that makes you. While you’re researching, why don’t you post the overall series record?
Probably won’t be hearing back from you…in case you were interested. GT is 2 or 3 games away from winning #200 and UGA is 2 or 3 games from #150.
By Gordon
April 19, 2007 3:57 PM | Link to this
The biggest game Tech plays in football is Georgia. The biggest in basketball is Georgia. The 3 biggest in baseball are Georgia, Georgia, and Georgia. I don’t have to live around ACC people, I have to live around Georgia people.
By the way Ramble ON, you are incorrect. Georgia leads the series in baseball. Tech leads in basketball.
By Casey Smallwood
April 19, 2007 4:26 PM | Link to this
Ramble ON! I was making a point to that dumb A$$ By JustMe You don’t consider it a rivalry game mostly because GA Tech dominates….. If ugag would get a decent team once in a while things may be different. And I clearly stated that the record was since 2001. I have enough class to consider The Football team a rivalry game even though you really haven’t won a game since 1990….Oh wait those infractions were thrown out. Since I was born in 1978 UGA is 22 and 7 against Tech….I know you are going to bring up when Football Players wore Leather helmets and Tech was a powerhouse in the SEC, but the #’s don’t lie!!!
By 3 Rivers jacket
April 19, 2007 4:26 PM | Link to this
Will you Georgia fans quit obsessing about Tech. You say you have a geat this and that but you are so hung up on Tech. Let it go.
By Ramble ON!
April 19, 2007 5:10 PM | Link to this
Casey Smallwood “I clearly stated that the record was since 2001”…because before then, you sucked, bad. Still Do. You miss represent the facts so you can call someone an idiot just like a typical fleabag. Take you small window of mediocre years, all 6 of them and woof yourself silly.
By What's up!
April 19, 2007 6:59 PM | Link to this
To: Mr. Georgia fans are obnoxious, here are some facts that you might want to know about UGA alumni and fans These facts might help you with your Stupidity! 1. There are over 80,334 UGA alumni in the Atlanta MSA 2. There is over 147,248 alumni in Georgia. 3. Yes there are a lot of UGA Alumni fans more than GIT. Now stop being a moron!
By Ramble on!
April 19, 2007 8:17 PM | Link to this
147,248 alumni! That explains why the state always ranks last in education.
By Gresham's Disco Dawg
April 19, 2007 8:41 PM | Link to this
My favorite thing about Tech fans are the inferiority complexes. Buzz on little ones!
By CharlotteJacket
April 19, 2007 10:48 PM | Link to this
The biggest Tech football game of the year is certainly UGA, but the Dawgs aren’t even a top 3 for most-important basketball game (count ‘em off: Dook & UNC, then any of Maryland, Wake, and UVA during their good seasons).
We have plenty to worry about with UVA, Miami, UNC, and the rest of the South’s best baseball conference to even start our best pitching against UGA.
Class act by the Nats to wear the VT caps this week against the Braves.
By RoyalAir
April 20, 2007 12:19 AM | Link to this
Georgia simply isn’t a college baseball state, and Bradley shows he doesn’t know much about college ball. You never send your weekend guys out during the week, no matter who you’re playing.
The real issue here is that Bradley’s surprised at the relative lack of passion in this “rivalry.” UGA/GT isn’t a rivalry so much as it is a minor annoyance on both sides; it’s nothing like Alabama/Auburn or Carolina/Clemson. Those schools compete against each other in EVERYTHING, while UGA/GT play football once a year.